Marvin Norwood, 30, left, and Louie Sanchez, 31, the two men who assaulted San Francisco Giants fan Bryan Stow outside Dodger Stadium on opening day in 2011, have pleaded guilty to assault charges in Superior Court in Los Angeles, on Thursday, February 20, 2014. Norwood was sentenced to four years in prison after he pleaded guilty to assault causing great bodily injury and Sanchez pleaded guilty to one count of mayhem in exchange for eight years in prison. (Irfan Khan/Los Angeles Times/MCT)

The two men accused of the vicious 2011 beating of Bryan Stow, shown here at a Giants game with his children, pleaded guilty Feb. 20, 2014, in a Los Angeles courtroom. (Contributed photo)

LOS ANGELES  Facing a heartbroken family and a scornful judge on Thursday, two men, occasionally smirking, were sentenced to prison after pleading guilty to severely beating paramedic Bryan Stow at Dodger Stadium in 2011.

Louie Sanchez, 31, was sentenced to eight years in state prison with time served after pleading guilty to one county of mayhem. Marvin Norwood, 33, pleaded guilty to one count of assault and was sentenced to four years in state prison with time served. Both men are from Rialto.

The men were sentenced in Los Angeles Superior Court downtown by Judge George G. Lomeli. He called them “cowards.”

“You are the biggest nightmare for people who attend public events,” Lomeli told them. Sanchez smirked, Lomeli scolded.

Stow, 45, a Santa Cruz paramedic, San Francisco Giants fan and father of two, was leaving the March 31, 2011, Opening Day game between the Dodgers and the Giants when he was knocked unconscious by Sanchez in the parking lot. Norwood prevented Stow’s friends from helping him, according to witnesses. Stow was beaten to the point of disability and brain damage, and now requires around-the-clock care. Stow returned home last spring after two years in hospitals and rehabilitation centers, according to The Associated Press.

“The attack you inflicted on my son...at Dodgers Stadium was so mean and vicious that it has left Bryan unable to care for himself,” Stow’s father, David, told the attackers in court. “Bryan has a lifetime of pain, therapy, (and) hard work daily that he must endure. He will strive to persevere.”

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Norwood and Sanchez did not appear in court until July 25, 2011, but arraignment was delayed. Deputy district attorney Gary Hearnsberger said both men have time-served credit going into their sentencing.

“(Norwood’s) credit is different than Sanchez’s,” Hearnsberger said. “(With) his crime, mayhem, parole can be granted after you do 85 percent of your time.”

Deputy Distinct Attorney Michele Hanisee told The Associated Press that Norwood’s credit for time already in custody appeared to account for at least a majority of the term, and he could be released immediately.

However, federal authorities have charged both men with weapon possessions which could land them another 10 years in federal prison.

“No sentencing you receive will ever be long enough,” Stow’s younger sister, Bonnie, told the attackers in court Thursday. “Eventually you will be released. Bryan’s sentence is a lifetime .”

“He worked very hard to get where he was and had you been the one attacked, bleeding on the ground, he was the type that would stop and try his best to save you,” Kain’s statement reads. “Bryan’s parents and sisters are having to care for him in every way you can think. Every morning you get to wake up and get out of bed and live. Bryan can’t do anything without assistance because of you.”

Stow’s sister, Erin Collins’ statement that “Bryan can’t go to the bathroom by himself. He can’t shower by himself. He has to wear adult diapers.”

“I hate having to even say that out loud but it shows the severity of what you did,” Collins said during the trial. “Being here I had hoped to see one tiny bit of remorse in order to not think you both are that despicable. But I don’t. How can we even begin to consider forgiveness when you aren’t even asking for it?”

Giants manager Bruce Bochy said today, "I'm just glad to see justice being served here. Still, you can't take back what happened in Bryan's situation, but hopefully for the family, this gives them a little sense of justice for what happened to their son."

In a statement, the Los Angeles Dodgers said they are “pleased that the culpable parties have finally accepted responsibility for their actions and have been sentenced for their crimes.”